


Half-Soul

by TheDarknessFactor



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drinking, F/F, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Season 6 Spoilers, Split Queen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-05
Updated: 2017-01-05
Packaged: 2018-09-14 22:44:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9208268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDarknessFactor/pseuds/TheDarknessFactor
Summary: The whispers reach Maleficent’s ears a few days after that: how along with all the people from the Land of Untold Stories, the Evil Queen has returned.  She tunes out the town gossip after that, not wanting to know more about the situation.  She is retired, and she is going to stay that way.That is, until her next meeting with Lily.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was written about a quarter of the way through the season, so this does go into AU territory. I honestly have no idea what I'm doing here, and I'm not even sure if I'm going to continue with this (though I certainly have ideas about where I can take this fic). 
> 
> For now, though, let's start with this. Enjoy!

It starts while Maleficent and Lily are on a park bench.

Storybrooke is a quaint little town— even beautiful in some parts— but to Maleficent, it never feels large enough.  She hasn’t gone into dragon form in months, wary of clipping the edge of the town with a wing and turning to dust.  Her occasional meetings with Lily have been the only thing capable of distracting her from her claustrophobia.

“Flying around people is just getting boring, now,” Lily’s telling her.  “They used to point up at me and scream, but now they just ignore me.  Like I’m an airplane.”

Maleficent thinks about being trapped in a metal tube while thousands of feet in the air, and shudders.

“I assure you, even as a beginner you had far more grace than those… things.”

Lily laughs.  “Always wondered why I hated them.”

There are fifteen more minutes until Lily’s shift at the diner starts, and until then Maleficent intends to ask all the important Concerned Mother questions: is Lily making friends, how is her apartment coming along, do people cower appropriately at the sight of her?

Before she can ask any of those questions, however, there’s a puff of purple smoke, and Regina is sitting between them.

Lily yells “Shit” and falls off the bench.  Maleficent doesn’t move an inch.

“Regina,” she greets.  She eyes Regina’s current choice of dress.  “I didn’t know we were reverting to the fashion of the Enchanted Forest.”

“Maleficent, dear,” Regina coos, her smile far sharper than that of the Regina that Maleficent currently knows.  “It’s good to see you.  As to your comment, I find that this suits me better than the pantsuits.”

There’s a craze in her voice that Maleficent recognizes.

“Lily,” she says, not breaking eye contact, “I think it’s best if you get back to work.  I’m sure Granny doesn’t want you missing your shift.”

Lily is smart enough to recognize danger, and she heads away from them without another word.  Regina doesn’t stop smiling the entire time.

“I suppose being the hero was too much for you,” Maleficent says.

“It never did agree with me,” Regina sighs.  “And I suspect it doesn’t agree with you, either.”

Maleficent chuckles.  “But I’m not a hero.  I’m just a bitter old woman who’s retired to a nice little house near the edge of town.  It’s a reminder of my potential mortality.”

“Oh good, you’re morbid again.”

“I like to call it being realistic.”

Regina shifts, somehow managing to cross her legs under her skirt and leaning back.  “Well, I was hoping you might reconsider your… early retirement.  Let the dragon stretch her wings.  It’s been too long since the two of us have had a little bit of fun, wouldn’t you say?”

Maleficent thinks about the last time she and Regina had fun— which involved tequila shots and torching a car.  She has a feeling that the Regina sitting in front of her means something a little more sinister than destruction of property and terrible hangovers the next morning.

“I’m not interested,” she says.

“Oh, please,” Regina scoffs.  “Why lie to me?  How long has it been since you’ve had the satisfaction of crushing a heart into dust?”

“Over thirty years, but that’s hardly the point.  The little things in life for me involve feeding the neighborhood cat, catching the neighbors trying to spy on me—“

“The moments you have with your daughter?”

The way Regina says that makes Maleficent go rigid, before she forces herself into a more relaxed stance, mirroring Regina’s pose. 

“Those are included, yes,” she admits.  “You can try to hurt her, Regina, but I’m fairly certain you’ll be burned to a crisp.  You don’t have anything to hold over me.  Whatever it is you’re planning, I don’t want any part of it.”

The smile slips off Regina’ face until she’s studying Maleficent intently.  After a moment, she murmurs, “There really is no convincing you.”

Abruptly, she disappears in another puff of violet smoke.

***

The whispers reach Maleficent’s ears a few days after that: how along with all the people from the Land of Untold Stories, the Evil Queen has returned.  She tunes out the town gossip after that, not wanting to know more about the situation.  She is retired, and she is going to stay that way.

That is, until her next meeting with Lily.

“Hey, your friend Regina—“ she starts.

That is about the last thing that Maleficent wants to hear right now, and she forces down the urge to hunt Regina down and cook her alive.  “What about her?  Did she bother you?”

“No, haven’t talked to her,” Lily says quickly, like she knows exactly what Maleficent is thinking.  “Uh… she doesn’t have a twin sister, does she?”

“What?  No, of course not.”  Though hiding a twin sister of Regina’s sounds like the sort of thing Cora Mills would do.

Lily mutters something that sounds suspiciously like “This fucking town” and then changes the subject.  Maleficent doesn’t ask about it again.

She does, however, head over to 108 Mifflin the next day.  Her curiosity has gotten the better of her.  Well, that and she intends to threaten Regina not to go near her daughter again; she wouldn’t put it past her.

It’s the Savior who answers the door, though.

“Oh,” she says, blinking.  “Uh… hi?”

“I need to speak to Regina.”

Emma snorts.  “Yeah?  Which one?”

 _That_ brings her up short.

Emma leads her into the house, pausing to wait for her while Maleficent hangs her coat on the rack and toes off her boots.  There’s a shuffling at the top of the staircase, and a red-haired woman stares down at her from the landing, but says nothing. 

“Look, she’s pretty much defenseless right now, so… don’t fireball her, or anything,” Emma cautions.

Maleficent follows Emma into the living room, only to find the couch already occupied.  On one end is Regina— the Regina she has come to know, wearing a blue dress that comfortably hugs her curves and with her hair only barely brushing her shoulders.  She looks, for all the world, like she’s been suffering from the world’s longest migraine.

On the other end is another Regina.  Still dressed in Enchanted Forest garb.

“Oh,” Maleficent says, echoing Emma’s earlier sentiment.

“They’re ignoring each other,” Emma says.  “This is one of their good days.”

Maleficent would be inclined to deliver a stinging lecture on the utter stupidity of splitting oneself in two, but she’s not even sure which Regina she ought to be delivering it to.  Her eyes fall on the Evil Queen, and she blinks at the strength of the binding spell placed on her.  It’s light magic, too, which she’s not sure any version of Regina is capable of casting.

The Storybrooke-esque version of Regina, however, is the one who is not under a binding spell.  She turns her head in time to catch Maleficent’s eye. 

“I can only assume you’re here because she did something,” she says. 

“Passing off blame doesn’t work that way, Regina,” Maleficent replies.  “You’re still the one who did something.  She _is_ you, isn’t she?  Lily had some ridiculous idea about you having a twin sister.”

Regina’s eyes widen.  “Did she hurt Lily?”

“No, Lily’s fine.  I think it’s you we need to talk about right now.  Specifically, why you felt that the best way to deal with your burgeoning guilt was the split out the part of yourself who protected you from… a multitude of things.”

Maleficent can see Regina’s jaw tighten.

“Wow, okay, that got heavy fast,” Emma says.  “Uh… I’m just gonna… go…”

Maleficent could care less what Miss Swan wants to do, but Regina sends Emma a pleading look, and she sees Emma falter before sighing and leaning against the wall. 

The Evil Queen looks smug.  It’s annoying, so Maleficent turns her attention to her.

“Come anywhere near my daughter, and I will end you.”

The Queen snorts.  “Please.  I’m hardly in any shape to leave this house, let alone harm your daughter.  Which I have no desire to do, in any case.”

“You’ll forgive me if I’m not inclined to believe you.”

The Queen raises an eyebrow at her, then raises her hands.  For a moment, silver chains appear to be hanging down from her wrists, before they fade away again.  “The Savior has made certain that I can’t harm anyone.  Not with magic, at any rate.”

Maleficent purses her lips, then turns back to Regina.  “I need to speak with you privately.”

Regina glances at Emma, then stands, smoothing out her dress.  She gestures for Maleficent to follow her into a room near the back of the house, a small study where Regina appears to keep a few of her books.  Maleficent glances at the few chairs in the room and opts to remain standing.  Regina does the same.

Apparently, her ability to handle confrontation was not diminished by the split.

“Before you start to lecture me,” Regina begins, “You should know that I’ve already gotten that treatment from Zelena.”

The red-haired woman upstairs.  Regina’s sister.  “You know that she’s right, don’t you?”

“Do I?” Regina snaps, a desperate edge to her voice that is new to Maleficent.  “How do I know that things would be better if she were still a part of me?  Maybe what you would have is a full-fledged Evil Queen, already well on her way to destroying the Savior and everyone else in this town.  Maybe what you would have is someone who finally drowned in the darkness in her soul.”

“Maybe,” Maleficent acknowledges, because she knows herself, and she knows that the urge to rip the Charmings apart will never fade.  “But what I know for certain is that you created a woman who is only a half a soul, who doesn’t have your compassion to keep herself under control.  And I also know that you’re not dealing with it well, either.”

Regina’s back is ramrod straight.  She doesn’t look away from Maleficent, and she doesn’t say anything in reply.  Maleficent is reminded of their staring contest in the park, and looks away first.

Yes, this Regina is most definitely still confrontational.  Which makes this that much harder.

“I remember, you know,” Maleficent says, more softly.  “I remember a young girl who came to me for help, for an escape from a horrid marriage.  But I also remember that there was only so much I could do.  You had to protect yourself, in the end.  In doing so, you became someone that most of this farce of a town regards as a monster.”

“Because I was!” Regina cries.  “Because that’s what she _is_.”

Maleficent shakes her head.  “I only ever saw you.”

She isn’t sure, but she thinks that Regina trembles at that.

“Leave,” Regina orders.  “Please.”

Maleficent knows when it’s wise to retreat.  This is one of those times.

* * *

Three days later, there’s a knock on her front door. 

Maleficent gets up from her armchair, not bothering to look out the front window to see who it is first.  She’s probably not leaving a good impression if she answers the door with a glass of brandy in her hand, but it’s one of those days when she finds it hard to care. 

Her visitor eyes the glass almost immediately.  “I hope you won’t mind sharing?”

Which is how Maleficent ends up having a drink with the Wicked Witch of the West.

“I must say, I’m surprised we haven’t met yet,” Zelena says.  “It felt like it was past time for that to happen.”

“What do you want?” Maleficent asks.

“Aw, no small talk?”  Maleficent raises an eyebrow.  “Fine, take the fun out of it.”

“If you regard small talk as ‘fun’, then I have to question whether you’re actually Regina’s sister.”

Zelena smirks.  “Well, technically I am only her half-sister.”

Maleficent continues to stare. 

“All right, I’ll get to it.  You have to come back.”

Maleficent looks at her glass, and for a moment wishes that she was actually drunk.  “Regina was explicitly clear in her instructions, the last time we spoke.”

“What, and you just do whatever she says?”

“I see no reason to go where I am clearly not wanted.”

“I don’t really give a damn about what my sister wants right now,” Zelena snaps, with enough fervor that Maleficent re-evaluates her initial impression.  “Look, she was hardly going to tell me whatever it was you said to her, but it got to her.  I’ve been trying to make her see that her decision was wrong for weeks, and haven’t had any success.  But I think you can convince her.”

“I’m retired,” Maleficent says.  Why is it no one seems to believe her?

“Oh, please,” Zelena replies, waving her hand.  It’s almost dizzyingly like Regina.  “If you thought that living in this town would mean that you could peacefully retire from… being involved in this town’s hell storm, or whatever, then I reserve the right to call you pea-brain.  Dragons are rather similar to dinosaurs, aren’t they?”

Maleficent has no idea what a dinosaur is, but she still has the urge to throw her glass at Zelena’s head.

“Anyway,” Zelena continues, “Just… consider yourself as having a standing invitation to family dinner on Saturday.  My nephew will be there, Emma will be supervising, the Queen will be locked in another room somewhere… it will be perfectly miserable.  Seems like your kind of scene.”

“I don’t like you,” Maleficent says. 

Zelena reaches forward and pats her on the hand.  “Feeling’s mutual, dear.”

* * *

Maleficent has already had one glass of wine when she teleports to Regina’s doorstep come Saturday.  Zelena told her to show up at seven, and that there is no dress code, but Maleficent wears slacks, a button-down shirt, and her favorite jacket over it.  It takes a few minutes of staring at the doorbell before she can muster the will to ring it, however.

It’s Emma who answers the door, blinking in surprise at the sight of her.  “Um… hey, again.  I didn’t expect—“

There’s an exclamation of “Mal!” from behind Emma, and then Zelena is sweeping past Emma and tugging her inside.  She’s wearing a sickly-sweet smile that does absolutely nothing to hide the gleam in her eyes.  “So glad you could make it.  I was worried you wouldn’t have time to join us.”

Emma’s just standing there, gaping at them.  Maleficent looks at her, and her jaw snaps closed.

“I’ll go tell Henry to set another place,” she mutters, and then scampers off.

The smile drops off Zelena’s face as soon as Emma’s out of sight.  “In all seriousness,” she says, her voice lower, “Thank you.”

“I didn’t come for you.”

“Oh, I’m aware.”  Zelena gestures towards the living room.  “Make yourself at home.  You can tell Regina to yell at me and not you, if she’s angry about you being here.  I have to go check on Robyn— she usually wakes up from her nap about now.”

The woman moves like a whirlwind, breezing out of the room before Maleficent even has time to sit on the loveseat.  She sinks down into the chair, taking in the sounds of clinking coming from what is probably the kitchen, in addition to Zelena’s footsteps receding up the stairs.  She closes her eyes and breathes, and allows herself to feel the magic around her for the first time in weeks.

There’s some lackluster magic in the kitchen— a turbulent combination of light and dark that, she concludes, is the ‘good’ Regina.  It’s accompanied by more vibrant light magic (the Savior).  There’s a miasma of dark magic above her head, and another near the back of the house, probably near the same room where Maleficent had spoken to Regina the last time she was here.

The sound of softer footsteps has her opening her eyes, in time to see Regina standing in the doorway.

“What are you doing here?” she demands.

Maleficent raises an eyebrow.  “Your sister invited me.  I felt that it would be rude to turn her down.”

“She—“  Regina breaks off with an aggravated sigh, running her hand through her hair and planting the other on her hip. 

“If you want me to leave, then I’ll leave.”

“No, that’s…”  Regina’s anger gives way to the exhaustion that Maleficent suspects is commonplace for her.  “Of course, you can stay.  She invited you, and she’s as much part of this family as… everyone else.”

Maleficent hums noncommittally in response.  It sounds to her like she’s not the one who needs convincing of that.

Regina doesn’t move from the doorway for the moment.  It’s as though she wants to take in the sight of Maleficent, on her loveseat, calm and composed in a way that’s impossible for Regina right now.  Maleficent, in return, takes the time to observe all the things she missed during her last visit: the dark circles beneath Regina’s eyes, the unhealthy color of her skin.

“I’m… I need to get back to the dinner,” Regina eventually says, and all but flees the room.

Twenty minutes later, it’s Emma who informs Maleficent that they’re all congregating in the dining room for dinner.  Henry is already there, as is Zelena; Zelena’s daughter is in a high chair while Zelena attempts to spoon-feed her.  Emma sits next to Henry, now typing furiously on her phone while Regina sets out the dishes.  The food smells heavenly compared to the takeout Maleficent has become used to.

“Everyone dig in,” Regina says, before taking the seat on Henry’s other side.

Maleficent almost wants to laugh at the painfully awkward silence that sets in.  She doesn’t know if she’s the cause or not, though she suspects that this isn’t the first time it’s happened during ‘family dinner’.  Zelena seems content to ignore everyone in favor of cooing at Robyn to get her to eat her baby formula.  Henry glances between Emma, Regina, and Maleficent, like he’s not sure who he should try to talk to.  Regina is staring down at her food and pushing it around her plate.  Miss Swan, on the other hand, is practically inhaling her casserole.

It is delicious, and for a few minutes Maleficent forgets about the atmosphere in favor of eating.  Then Emma is the one to break the silence, striking up a conversation with Henry about school.

“Yeah, all the kids in Grandma’s class like to brag about how they have the coolest teacher,” he says. 

Emma snorts.  “I mean, I figured, but don’t change the subject, kid.  How’s your math going?”

“It’s… fine.” His grimace has Emma giving him a knowing look.  “Violet’s really good at it.  She’s been helping me a lot.”

At this, Regina gives a quiet laugh.  For the first time, Maleficent thinks that her eyes have something other than emptiness in them.  “And how many times has that help been interrupted by the two of you marathoning Justice League on Netflix?”

“That only happened once,” Henry defends.  “… maybe twice.”

It’s somewhat adorable, Maleficent concedes. 

The three of them continue to hold up the conversation, smiling and even laughing at times.  Maleficent doesn’t miss the wistful looks that Zelena sometimes shoots their way, just as she can’t miss the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.  It has her wishing that she’d drunk more wine before she came here.

Eventually, everyone’s plate is mostly clear.  Maleficent volunteers to help Regina pack up the leftovers, but as soon as she follows her into the kitchen a plate is shoved into her hands.

“I’ll need your help in a bit,” Regina says, “But first if you could… give that to her… please.”

Maleficent wants to draw herself up to full height and remind Regina that she is no errand girl, but remembers that in this world it’s not seen as demeaning to do little things like this.  She gives Regina a curt nod instead, and then searches out the wellspring of dark magic that she sensed earlier.

The Queen is indeed occupying the study where Maleficent and Regina had their talk.  She’s staring out the window, at the apple tree in Regina’s backyard.

“You almost look contemplative,” Maleficent comments.  “How unlike you.”

Apparently, she’s startled Regina, because her head snaps back to look at her.  One of the Queen’s manufactured smiles appears on her face before Maleficent can even get a fix on the surprise in her expression.

“Mal,” she says.  “How nice of you to join me.  And to bring me dinner.”

Maleficent sets down the plate on the table, folding her arms. 

“Still drinking away your sorrows?” the Queen asks.

That stings more than expected, and Maleficent immediately snaps back with, “Still caught on the Savior’s leash?”

Her retort doesn’t seem to faze her at all.  “Do you think anyone in this house would still be breathing if I weren’t?”

Maleficent inhales, willing herself to be patient (she has never done well with patience).  “Well, Regina would be.  I hear you can’t kill her.  Also, I suspect that the boy would still be alive as well, unless you’re completely without love.  Which I doubt.”

The Queen’s eyes widen.  “Henry,” she breathes, before her face contorts in a snarl.  “Of _course_ she would lock me up on Saturdays, then, god forbid I get to see my own son on one of the few times he’s actually within 50 feet of me.  I suppose she sent _you_ because she knows I would wring her neck if I found out.”

This outburst is the most emotional that Maleficent has seen the Queen.  The desperation in her voice is familiar.

It’s gone in a heartbeat.  The Queen has never been fond of emotions.

“The food is delicious,” Maleficent says.  “I suggest you dig in.”

“Not going to keep me company while I eat?”

“I said I’d help clean up.”

The Queen snorts.  “If Regina sent you to feed me, then I doubt she really wants any assistance from you.  Knowing our efficiency, she’ll be finished with that by now.  You don’t have anywhere else to be, do you?”

“Well, now that you mention it…”  The urge to get out of this house (which is stifling, in spite of its size) and retreat to her own home is growing stronger by the minute.  Once again, she finds herself wishing that she’d had two glasses instead of just one.

The Queen’s expression is unreadable as she picks up her fork.  “Suit yourself.”

It’s her way of saying “I won’t beg”, and Maleficent suddenly finds herself sitting in a chair in the corner of the room.  She hates this— being here, where both Reginas can make her feel so off-balance.  A feeling of wrongness settles over her whenever she’s in the room with one of them.  She puts up with it, however, because she’s curious. 

That curiosity, it seems, won’t be sated today.  The Queen doesn’t say a word while she eats.

When she’s finished, she holds her plate out to Maleficent.  Maleficent takes it and leaves the room without saying goodbye, feeling her eyes burn into her back until the door closes behind her.

The kitchen is deserted and spotless when Maleficent returns.  She goes through the mechanical movements of rinsing the plate and putting it in the dishwasher, before she wanders through the foyer, searching for the house’s other inhabitants.

There is a low murmur of voices in the living room.  She pauses by the doorway.

“This has to end,” Regina is insisting.

“Right now we only know one way to end it,” Emma replies.  “And _that’s_ not an option.”

“So, what?  We just keep her here indefinitely?  I know her, Emma.  One day she’ll figure out a loophole, she’ll get out, and we’ll be right back where we started.”

“Then we keep looking.  We keep trying to find a way to fix this that doesn’t involve anyone dying.  I’m not giving up, and neither should you.”

Maleficent clears her throat, and both women’s faces snap up to stare at her.

“I hope I’m not interrupting,” she says. 

“No!  No,” Emma says, getting to her feet.  “It’s late anyway, I’ve gotta head back to my place.  Mary Margaret’s coming by tomorrow, Regina.”

“Of course,” Regina replies; for once, it’s not sarcastic.  “Thank you for bringing Henry today.”

Emma shoots her a small smile.  “You’re welcome.”

Maleficent leans against the doorway as the Savior makes her exit, looking away from Regina.  Her intention had been to announce her departure, but there’s something compelling her to stay, despite the sense of wrongness.  Maybe it’s because of the wrongness, and she feels like it needs to be fixed.  As if she could fix it.

(Or maybe, considering that before the other day they hadn’t spoken in months, maybe she’s just _missed_ Regina.)

“I’m sorry,” Regina says.  She twists her hands in her lap, avoiding eye contact with Maleficent.  “About… the other day.  It’s been a little while, and I regret that our first meeting after so long had to end like that.”

Maleficent raises an eyebrow, ignoring the fact that Regina practically just read her mind.  “Considering that our actual first meeting involved me being high and telling you to get lost, I’d say no harm done.”

Regina laughs.  “Very true.  Are you going to sit?”

And for a moment, Maleficent almost does.  But then she shakes her head.

“Not if we’re going to pretend nothing’s wrong.”

The smile slips off Regina’s face. 

“There’s nothing I can do to fix this right now,” she says softly.  “Mal, don’t you think if I could, I would?”

Maleficent isn’t sure, but in the end she moves to sit on the opposite end of the sofa from Regina.  “Tell me about what happened.”

Regina’s explanation begins slowly— with a trip to the Underworld to save Captain Hook (Maleficent doesn’t regret missing out on that one) which led to the death of Robin Hood.  Regina’s exhaustion due to having to battle her old instincts, and her desire to rid herself of the urge to kill the people she was supposed to be allied with.  The serum, which she injected into her veins to split herself in two.

Her decision to rip out the heart of the Evil Queen, and crush it.

“Only she can’t be killed,” Regina says, laughing bitterly.  “The only way for her to die is if _I_ die.  I suppose there’s something poetic about that.”

“Not really,” Maleficent says.  “I have to wonder, however— if your first instinct after being split is to kill someone, can you really say that you were purged of evil?”

Regina sighs.  “I know that’s… not what happened.  I’ve known that since Dr. Jekyll died.  But… I think some part of me was hoping for it.”

“I would think you’d have learned the Charmings’ lesson, after what happened with their daughter,” Maleficent muses.  “They removed all of her darkness before she was born, and even then… even then, Miss Swan killed Cruella De Vil.  She became the Dark One.”

“I didn’t—“ Regina breaks off, sagging.  “I was tired of fighting her.”

“Like you’re fighting her right now, you mean?”

“If I had known this would happen, this conversation wouldn’t be happening right now.”

They lapse into silence.  Maleficent wants to take Regina by the shoulders and shake her.  She wants to shout that the problem is not that the Evil Queen is here and wreaking havoc, but that Regina was so willing a part of herself that was so fundamental to who she was.  She wants to tell her that Regina and the Queen are one and the same, as much as both seem to want to deny it.

She has a feeling that saying any of those things would result in her getting kicked out of the house again, though.  Instead, she opts for, “I think you’re a fool.”

“Well, _that’s_ helpful,” Regina says.

Maleficent scoots slightly closer, and lays a hand on Regina’s arm.  “I’m sorry about Robin Hood.”

Her touch seems to startle Regina, who leans away for a moment before she catches herself and relaxes.  She stares at Maleficent’s hand for a moment, before looking up and saying, “Thank you.”

The pain in her eyes is so raw that Maleficent needs to draw back. 

“Enough about me,” Regina says quickly.  “How have you been?  How’s Lily?”

Maleficent is only too happy to talk about her daughter.  She explains about Lily’s job at the diner, and how she’s taking online classes on graphic design.  She tells Regina about their weekly meetings, and how Lily’s favorite thing to do is fly.

She’s careful not to mention her own claustrophobia, or how she seems to have developed another block on turning into a dragon. 

Regina listens with rapt attention, and interjects with a question from time to time.  It reminds Maleficent of their days in the Enchanted Forest.

Eventually the conversation dries up, and Maleficent stands.  “I should get going.  At my age, I need my beauty sleep.”

“You’re the last person who needs beauty sleep,” Regina replies, also getting up.  “It was good to catch up, Mal.”

Maleficent nods in return, smiling slightly.  Regina walks her to the door, even though it’s mostly a formality, since Maleficent has every intention of just teleporting back to her house. 

“Consider yourself invited to next week’s dinner as well,” Regina says. 

“I’ll put it on my calendar.”

* * *

“Unlimited milkshakes,” Lily says, sliding one over to Maleficent.  “One of the perks of working here.”

She sits down across from her, leaning back in the booth and letting out a long sigh. 

“Long day?” Maleficent asks.

“Not longer than any other day, but I’ve been on my feet pretty much the entire time,” Lily answers.  “Some old couple likes to come in on Monday mornings and they’re the most demanding assholes I’ve ever met, so… it’s a challenge not to just incinerate them.”

“I hear that incinerating people who annoy you is generally frowned upon,” Maleficent says.

“You heard right.  Doesn’t mean I can’t imagine it happening, though.  It’s how I sleep at night.”

Most of Maleficent knows that Lily is joking, but there’s always some part of her that worries that her daughter might be serious.  Carefully, she says, “Well, now I hope _that’s_ not true.”

Lily snorts.  “Don’t worry, Mom.  I sleep fine.”

Maleficent relaxes, and takes a sip of her shake.  These beverages are one of her guilty pleasures in this world— she can never say no when Lily brings her one while they’re meeting up.

“So, I gotta ask,” Lily says.  “What’s the deal with Regina Mills?  ‘Cause Emma’s not telling me anything, and no one else wants to talk about it.”

Maleficent freezes before putting down her milkshake.  “The short version is she split herself into two aspects of her personality.  The long version isn’t mine to share.”

“So you’ve seen her.”  It isn’t a question.

“…yes.”

“Good,” Lily says.  “You needed something else to do.”

She immediately starts slurping enthusiastically at her own milkshake, avoiding Maleficent’s eye.  Maleficent folds her arms.

“Just what is _that_ supposed to mean, Lilith?”

Lily shrugs.  “Nothing, just… you don’t think I actually buy all that stuff about you ‘retiring’ and finding hobbies like gardening, do you?  These days you look like you’d jump out of your own skin if you could.”

Maleficent has been avoiding this conversation for the past few months.  There’s a knowing look in Lily’s eye, though— like she’s well aware of that, and she’s not about to let her get away with it. 

“Are you gonna tell me what’s going on?” Lily asks.

“I’m… restless.”

“Uh-huh.  Is that the short version?”

Maleficent doesn’t answer.

“Y’know, my day off is Thursday,” Lily says.  “We should go flying together then.  It’s been a while.”

“I can’t.”

“Why, you got a hot date?”  Lily frowns at her, her blasé tone masking her hurt. 

Maleficent’s lips twist into a wry smile.  “Something like that.”

The bell on the diner door chooses to ring at that moment.  It’s nothing unusual at Granny’s, so Maleficent doesn’t bother to see who the newcomer is.  Two seconds later, however, she’s wishing she had some kind of forewarning.

“Mal!” Zelena exclaims.  She sits next to her, practically shoving her aside.  “Fancy seeing you here.  And you must be Lily, Maleficent’s daughter.”

Lily rolls her eyes.  “Christ, lady, I’ve met you before.”

“Yes, but it’s been so _long_.”

Maleficent has to suppress several violent urges.  “What do you want, Zelena?”

“To thank you, of course,” Zelena says.  “Regina’s been… well, not exactly happy, she’s never happy… but her temperament has improved significantly over the last few days.  Practically a miracle, if you ask me.  She even yelled at me, instead of ignoring me for once.”

“That doesn’t sound like an improvement to me,” Lily mutters.  She gives Maleficent a questioning look.

“I hear you’ll be joining us again,” Zelena continues.

“Yes, well, the invite was significantly less grating when it came from Regina.”

“Splendid!”  Zelena stands abruptly.  “Sorry to leave you like this, but I’m famished.  Haven’t eaten anything today yet.  It was wonderful catching up with you again.”

Once Zelena’s seated herself at a different table, Maleficent scoots back to the center of the booth, breathing out slowly.

“Incinerating people is bad, Mom,” Lily reminds her.

“She can take it,” Maleficent growls. 

“Yeah, but the Diner can’t, and I like having a paying job.”

“Point taken.”

Lily needs to get back to work after that, and Maleficent finds herself wandering down Main Street at a sedate pace, looking at the shop windows without really _looking_ at them.  She has nothing to do for the rest of her Monday afternoon, so she just walks and walks.  Storybrooke is small enough that she can cover the entire downtown area in just twenty minutes or so, and she ends up strolling through the residential neighborhoods as well, unless she finds herself at the entrance to the cemetery.

She pauses.  Curiosity overcomes her right then, and her feet lead her through and to the graves on the other side.  All of the headstones bear names that she does not recognize, except for one in particular.  One that takes her ten minutes to find.

“Robin Hood,” Maleficent murmurs to herself.  So this is where the other man Regina loved lies.  She knows about Daniel— that particular story had come bursting out of Regina during one of her visits, when she was still young and freshly enraged.  Maleficent listened and empathized, understanding that rage.

She uses her magic to conjure up a pink carnation, placing it on the grave.  It’s her way of saying thank you.

“Mal?”

She turns around to see Regina standing there, holding a single red rose.  Regina’s mouth opens and closes several times, before she looks past Maleficent and sees the flower on Robin’s grave.  She bows her head, and moves to stand beside her, adding the rose next to it.

The two flowers barely fit on the headstone together, but there isn’t a whisper of wind.  Maleficent isn’t worried.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Regina says.  Her voice is hoarse.

“I didn’t expect to be here.”

They stand at arm’s length from one another.  To Maleficent, there are a million things unsaid between them, but none of them seem appropriate for this moment.

Instead she asks, “Do you have somewhere to be today?”

Regina shakes her head.  “I got an early start on my paperwork.  And David is keeping an eye on the Queen.”

“Come over for a little while,” Maleficent says.  “I can show you my garden.”

The skeptical look that she gets in return is a little bit more like the Regina that she’s used to.  And yet, when she offers Regina her arm, she takes it.

* * *

“You’re growing dragon flowers,” Regina deadpans.

“Well, I wasn’t about to grow begonias,” Maleficent says, rolling her eyes.  “And I despise those pathetic excuses for plants that this world terms ‘dragon flowers’.”

Regina pulls her hand back quickly from one to avoid a gout of flame.  “They’re actually called Snapdragons.  I hope children don’t get the idea to play in your yard.”

“Why do you think I have a fence?”

Regina snorts, standing and dusting off her skirt.  “I should’ve known that your garden would be a death trap.”

“I’m taking that as a compliment,” Maleficent says.

“It was meant to be one.  I’m… impressed.”  Regina smirks.  “Look at you, with your life together.  You’ve got hobbies, you spend time with your daughter…”

“Yes, well.”  Maleficent has a crazed urge to laugh at the idea of her having her life together, but if Regina believes it, she’s not about to contradict it.  “I like to think I’ve gained some wisdom in my retirement.  Care for a drink?”

“Don’t mind if I do,” Regina replies.

Maleficent breaks out her stash of cider, knowing that Regina is partial to it (no surprise there).  They settle into the chairs in Maleficent’s small living room, her cozy little home a strange parody of Regina’s mansion.  Regina smacks her lips together after taking a sip, before lowering the glass.  Her gaze becomes distant quickly after that.

“Your sister has a knack for annoying me,” Maleficent says, unable to think of another topic.

Regina blinks, shaking herself.  “Zelena?  Yes, she tends to do that.”  Tension enters her frame at her own words.  The subject of her sister seems to be a touchy one— an interesting contrast, considering that Zelena always seems only too happy to discuss Regina, albeit always with a bitter tone of voice. 

Just as soon as it appeared, all the tension leaves Regina.  “But she’s good with Robyn,” she admits.  “And she’s been… helpful to have around the house.  Somewhat.”

There’s something more there, but Maleficent isn’t going to push. 

“How is your son?” she asks.

“Henry?”  Regina blinks.  “He’s fine.  He’s doing well in school, he hangs out with Violet… a lot…”

Maleficent smirks at Regina’s obvious discomfort.  “He does seem to be a bit young to be dating.”

“They’re _not_ dating.”

This, of course, devolves into an argument about whether Henry and this Violet girl are, in fact, dating.  Maleficent is mostly joking, just to get Regina riled up about something.  It’s the closest Regina’s been to the woman she knows.  Regina’s the one to cut off the argument, rolling her eyes and draining her glass of cider.

“This is pointless,” she says.  “I know for a fact that they’re not dating because I supervise most of their get-togethers.”

“Of course you do.”

They lapse into a comfortable silence after that, content to be in one another’s company for a little while.  Even so, Regina clearly becomes antsy from the lack of conversation, because she says, “You really do seem to have carved out a nice little place in town for yourself, Mal.  I’m glad.”

Maleficent twists her glass around.  “I’m not nearly as well-adjusted as you might think,” she confesses. 

Regina shoots her a confused look.  She opens her mouth to speak, but the ringtone on her cell phone goes off first.

“Hello?”

Maleficent turns away, pretending to study the various books on her shelves. 

“What?  What do you mean, she—“  She cuts herself off.  “No, no, just— I’ll be right there.  Make sure she doesn’t try to hide somewhere else.”

She hangs up, turning to Maleficent with a sigh.  “I have to go.  Something’s come up.”

“Does this something happen to literally be your evil twin?” Maleficent asks.  “Do you need any help?”

Regina tugs her coat bag on, buttoning it up with all the efficiency of a woman who has lived in this world for more than a year.  “I can handle her.”

As she vanishes in a puff of smoke, Maleficent murmurs, “I’m not so sure you can.”

* * *

Before Maleficent goes to Saturday dinner at 108 Mifflin, she stands in the middle of her backyard.  She tries to conjure up a sensation that is foreign to her now— tries to remember the feeling of fire racing through her veins, warming her but not consuming her.  She tries to recall the rush of the change, of finally gaining a form that’s able to contain her power instead of residing in a body that’s much too small for all of it.

There’s a brief moment when she thinks she feels _something_ , and then it fades.  Suppressing an impatient sigh, she teleports to Regina’s doorstep to find the door already open.

“Right on time,” Regina greets her, smiling.  “Fair warning, however: Mary Margaret and David are here as well.  I wasn’t sure how you would feel about it, but… Henry wanted them here today.”

Maleficent shrugs.  It’s been so long since she had the energy to feel hatred towards them.  “I can tolerate their presence.”

Zelena’s coming down the stairs with Robyn when the two of them make it into the foyer.  She gives Maleficent a nod instead of saying anything, prompting Maleficent to stare after her.  It strikes her as rather juvenile, that Zelena would normally be sending her sugary smiles and playing nice, but now, in front of her sister, she barely acknowledges her.

The Charmings are already seated when they enter the dining room, food already on the table.  Emma’s head is thrown back and she’s laughing at something Henry has said, banging her hand on the table.  Robyn, who’s already settled in her high chair, giggles and starts banging her tiny fists against it as well.

“Maleficent!”  Snow White almost looks ready to scramble to her feet, but Maleficent waves a hand. 

“Please, Snow, don’t get up on my account,” she says.  “You don’t have to worry, I haven’t had any time to poison your food.”

Snow and Charming exchange a glance.   “…that was a joke, right?” Charming asks.

Maleficent slides into the seat next to Regina and lifts one eyebrow at him. 

“Okay, then,” he says.  “It looks delicious.  Thanks, Regina.”

“Just start serving yourself,” Regina says, waving a hand.

The conversation is more lively this dinner than the last, even without Zelena joining in.  Regina seems to be more willing to speak when the Charmings are around (and isn’t that a surprise), and Robyn is a source of constant entertainment, especially when she tries to spit out her formula and grimaces. 

Maleficent opts out of the conversation as well, content to take her time eating (watching Emma almost makes her want to be sick, so she purposefully avoids looking in that direction).  Which, of course, means that Zelena is willing to strike up a conversation with her, now that Regina is sufficiently distracted. 

“You remember last week, when you were Regina’s errand girl giving the Queen her food?” Zelena asks her.  “You should volunteer again.”

“Why on earth would I want to do that?” Maleficent replies.

“Because I know that you agree with me.  The two of them separating was a mistake, and they need to find a way to merge back together.  Sooner rather than later, if you ask me.”

“I never said I believed any of that.”

“Mm, true,” Zelena concedes.  “But seeing as you’re a smart person, and my plan is a smart plan, it’s only logical that you would end up agreeing.”

Maleficent does agree, but she’s not about to let Zelena know that.  Deliberately turns away from Zelena, taking another bite of pot roast and tuning back in to the conversation that Regina is having.  Out of the corner of her eye, though, she thinks she sees Zelena sticking her tongue out at her.

Once everyone’s finished eating, however, it turns out that Maleficent doesn’t need to volunteer. 

“I know you did it last time,” Regina tells her, “but you seem to have a talent for not provoking her to violence.  I was hoping…”

Maleficent takes the plate.  “I’ll handle it.”

“Thank you.”

The Queen is upstairs this time, in one of the guest bedrooms.  Maleficent doesn’t bother to knock on the door before she enters, suspecting that she’ll be in much the same state as she was the last time she did this.  Sure enough, the Queen is seated by the window, staring at Storybrooke as the sun sets over the town.

“Back again?” she asks, without turning around.  “I’m not surprised.  Regina hasn’t come to see me herself in weeks.”

“She fears you,” Maleficent states flatly.

“Yes,” the Queen agrees, turning to face her.  Her eyes seem darker than they usually do, and Maleficent realizes that this woman is far more dangerous than the one she encountered last Saturday.  She places the plate on the bedside table, careful not to let her wariness show.

“As well she should,” the Queen continues, getting up and stalking towards her with a deliberate, predatory gait.  She only stops when their faces are less than an arm’s length from one another.  “As everyone in this hellhole should.  Including you.”

Maleficent doesn’t move.

The Queen strikes out like a snake, grasping her chin and digging her nails into Maleficent’s skin.  “You don’t even flinch,” she breathes, and Maleficent realizes that they haven’t been in this close proximity since their time together in the Enchanted Forest.  She isn’t one to back down, however, and she holds herself still while the Queen searches her eyes. 

Regina releases her, taking a step back.  “But then,” she says, “you always were a weak, old fool.”

“ _I’m_ the fool?” Maleficent demands.  “I’m not the one who made the mistake of trying to love a second time.”

She knows, the moment she says it, that those words are a mistake.

“Do you think all the heartbreak we’ve endured has been _my_ fault?” the Queen roars.  “I’m the one who picks up the pieces, over and over again.  I carry her when she can’t— when she doesn’t want to.  I’m the one who makes sure she survives these messes!  Why the hell would I be the one creating them?”

“Because there is no, ‘you’ and ‘her’,” Maleficent says.  “Just Regina.”

The Queen gives a throaty laugh.  “Just as I suspected,” she says coldly.  “Weak and foolish.”

“I suppose so,” Maleficent says, just as cold.  “Only a fool would waste their time on you.”

She turns to go, hand reaching for the doorknob. 

“Well, if you really want to talk about falling in love for a second time…” the Queen begins, her voice low enough to be considered a purr.

Maleficent freezes. 

“If this is another threat towards Lily,” she begins.

“Oh, no, I don’t care whether you love her or not,” the Queen says.  “Think about it, though: impressionable young woman storms her way into your life, believing in you when no one else had for the first time in years… you were hopeless right from the start, weren’t you?”

Maleficent doesn’t turn around.  “You and I aren’t those people anymore.  And feelings were never involved.  We discussed that.”

“We did,” the Queen admits.  “I made it very clear to you that what was between us wasn’t love.  And once I told you that, well.  You were never going to admit anything, were you?”

Maleficent whirls around.  “I don’t see how ancient history has any bearing on this conversation,” she snaps.

The Queen takes one step towards her, then another.  Maleficent still refuses to back down, even when the Queen is barely inches from her.  She catches a hint of her perfume, still the same one that she remembers (of course the Queen would use it). 

“You put on a good show, but I’ve always known better.”  The Queen’s voice is barely more than a whisper.  “I know that your life has been… unfulfilling lately.  Even dragons tend to get lonely in solitude, after a time.”

Maleficent’s been lying to everyone lately.  But right now, in this moment, she can’t seem to find the words to deny the Queen’s accusation.

“I thought so,” the Queen ( _Regina_ ) says, and kisses her.

Maleficent responds almost immediately, old memories coming back and reminding her to tilt her head just so to give the Queen better access.  Regina kisses the way she did during the latter years of their relationship— greedily, always demanding more.  Her hands are on Maleficent’s hips in a bruising grip, but one of them slides up to the back of her neck so that she can keep her in place. 

The Queen bites her lip, and Maleficent, not expecting the sudden spike of pain, growls.  The Queen pulls away to let out a breathless laugh, her eyes gleaming, and the spike of sorrow that Maleficent suddenly feels has her shoving the Queen away.  Her anger flares up within her: anger at the Queen for seeing through to her weakness to easily, and anger at herself for feeling as though she’s betrayed Regina somehow.

There’s no rational reason for her to feel that way.

“Oh come _on_ ,” the Queen exclaims, rolling her eyes.  “Don’t tell me that you’re like _her_ now.  Do you actually give a damn about the consequences of your actions?  Do you stop to think about how what you’re doing can hurt someone else?  I thought you would have been beyond that.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time you’ve been wrong about something,” Maleficent says.  She still feels unsteady, though she’s careful not to reveal that.

The Queen scoffs.  “Get out of my room.”

Maleficent deliberately keeps her movements slow as she goes to the door, turning the knob and exiting before she lets out a shaky exhale.  She blinks when Zelena appears at the top of the stairs, carrying Robyn and looking for all the world like the cat that ate the canary.  She smirks at Maleficent, who scowls in return; she’s in no mood for Zelena’s games.

“Did you have a nice chat?” Zelena asks, moving past Maleficent to what must be either her room or Robyn’s room.  “Don’t worry, I won’t tell Sis.”

Maleficent doesn’t wait for Zelena’s door to close behind her before she teleports home.


End file.
